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Saturday, August 01, 2015

Biking Vicariously

I blame the weather for my inaction. It's been either too hot or rainy. But I did make it out this morning. Uncle Sam bike path, a little over six miles in 35-ish minutes. It was raining lightly at the start of the ride, but that didn't last long. The skies stayed overcast, which made for comfortable biking.

Took it easy and biked a steady 9-10 mph. The trip back is always easier... probably because it's the sign that I'm almost done. I should start going for longer rides, riding days on the tour will be at least 50 miles!

While I haven't spent enough quality time with my bike, I have been reading/listening to people who are. Kind of motivates me to get going. Kind of.

Listen: Pedal Shift podcasts. If you're curious about bike touring, definitely check this out. Tim Mooney (man behind the podcasts) recently finished up a bike tour of the Erie Canal, which I followed daily. I even offered up some helpful tips about the parts I know on that trail. His next adventure is traveling from Boston to DC with a bike and regional transit. If you're wondering, he's going to use a folding bicycle.

An aside, but Amtrak needs to get with the times and start allowing bicycles onto more of their service routes. I was planning on a bike adventure using the train to get to my start location, but the route from Rensselaer does not allow bikes or check in baggage.

Read: Adventure Cycling Association. Covers cycling (duh) and good resource if you want to go on a bike tour. When I have the time I would love to do the TransAmerica tour. But that takes a couple of months!

Read: Bike Overnights. If you're not too sure if touring is for you, a one or two night trip might be a good way to start. They show you what you need, how you should pack, and riders post information about the trails so you'll be prepared. I've marked off rail trails that are on the bike list.

Read: Fat Guy Across America. Okay, there not really much reading, but something I'm following. Eric Hites is as the title says, biking across America. He's doing this to help shed the excess weight and win his wife back. He started off in Massachusetts and I think he's made it to New Hampshire. The last few weeks his story has really taken off - you may have seen it floating around on Facebook. People along the way are helping him out; someone have him a GoPro to record his trip, and a bike shop built him a new bike that would support his weight when his bike gave out. Feel good story... I hope he completes his trip.

Watch: Any and all videos about bike touring. It's all I look at on YouTube lately.